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Today Bush warned Democrats "to accept his offer to have top aides
testify about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not
under oath or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back
down."
Democrats said they would start authorizing subpoenas as soon as
Wednesday for the White House aides. "Testimony should be on the
record and under oath. That's the formula for true accountability,"
said Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bush said his White House counsel, Fred Fielding, told lawmakers they
could interview presidential counselor Karl Rove, former White House
Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies but only on the president's
terms: in private, "without the need for an oath" and without a
transcript." (1)
Enough is enough. Bush has done nothing but lie to the public since he
first assumed office in 2001. A task that he managed by having his
political campaign demand that the Supreme Court end the vote count in
Florida, without counting all the votes. The Supreme Court complied with
that unconstitutional act, and the world has been heading straight into
hell ever since. Now Bush wants to challenge the congress by threatening
to take the current confrontation, all the way to the Supreme Court. He
need not have bothered with the mellow-dramatics. It is clear from the
constitution that the job of congress is to act as a check on the power of
the administration - in all matters involving executive decisions -and
this instance definitely qualifies for that. At issue is the propriety of
the firings of the eight US Attorneys, among other things.
According to James Bovard writing on Lew Rockwell's site: "But
Bush is probably in much greater danger from the derailing a Justice
Department investigation into Gonzo's possibly criminality. Murray Waas,
one of the best investigative journalists in DC, has a new piece on
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's role in derailing a Justice Department
investigation of his own possible criminality. Waas reported last Thursday
at the National Journal web page.
The Justice Department investigation could have exposed the role of
Bush and his top advisors in masterminding a program that some of the
federal government's top experts considered to be clearly illegal. Waas
noted, "According to accounts that Gonzales and his aides gave to
others in the department, Gonzales did advise Bush on the issue of the OPR
inquiry."
Thus, Bush may have knowingly derailed an investigation that could have
exposed his own criminal conduct. This may be even too brazen an abuse of
power for many Republicans to stomach.
It is ironic that Gonzo will probably get sunk for his role in firing
and lying about U.S. attorneys, considering that he had so many worse
offenses. It was only a few months ago that Gonzales notified a shocked
Senate Judiciary Committee that the Constitution did not guarantee habeas
corpus, despite explicit language to the contrary." (2)
The larger issue at stake here is that for the last six years the White
House and all its shady characters have been able to avoid any
congressional oversight on anything that they chose to do-or on any of the
things they did in response to events that resulted in major impacts upon
the people and the nation: Nine-Eleven, Katrina, and the Wars in both
Afghanistan and Iraq. None of that was ever questioned or reviewed-there
was a 911 commission but they spent the bulk of their time running from
the facts, as they were only interested in which policies might have been
affected-not the acts of that day or the actions themselves. In fact no
inquiry was ever undertaken to determine exactly what the president
himself was doing, throughout that very long day - when he was supposed to
be at the helm of this government.
So, as this is the first time that Petulant-George might actually have
to explain anything about his administration: it would be extremely unwise
for him and his administration to pretend that they have immunity from
even discussing what went on in the White House and in the Department of
Justice - concerning the firing of these eight US Attorneys. Subpoenas
should be issued for all concerned and testimony must be under oath and on
the record. Nothing less can be accepted from proven liars and sloppy
con-men that have a reputation for lying, publically and privately.
Administration 'types' also have a knack for forgetfulness in every
instance, and especially for their failure to stick to a single version of
events-in any case where they might have been involved. This congressional
inquiry ought to be straight forward, on the record and in public. If this
congress can't manage to get that result-from our servants in the White
House and the Justice Department-then what good are any of them! They have
all been on vacation now for six long years-now it's time to see which
side "the congress" really represents: Will it be the corruption
and lies of the administration, or the right of the people to absolutely
know the truth in this matter.
The people are paying everyone involved in this sordid affair, to
represent us. But based on the performance of the congress and the White
House, during the last six years, we should all demand the return of every
cent we paid this government, during all that time: because we've all been
taken- BIGTIME! This is the moment when the public needs to be a part of
an actual shift in emphasis, a change in the direction for this government
and the administration: away from all the self-serving and hypocritical
lies of these threadbare pretenders that lecture us daily about what we
'must' do-while they have virtually trashed our every real need; including
the truth about anything they've ever said!
What these hearings are about is not just the events and testimony of
some low-life appointees within either the White House or the Department
of Justice - this must not stop until the public has the entire unsavory
story that will only end when those who failed us-are fired and charged if
there were crimes committed. Because of the level at which these events
took place, many other prominent and potentially culpable people may also
have to be brought in to testify. But in this case there simply cannot be "a political bridge too
far," war or no war! Because the public can handle
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, or we deserve to
know the reasons why.
Presidential prerogatives are not on that list-the president is a man
like any other, and as such, he cannot be "above the law." Nor is Bush
beyond the reach of justice, if indeed he has been complicit in criminal
acts or cover-ups that might have evolved to protect higher officials,
from legal investigations, into whatever might have taken place-on his
watch, as either president or as Commander-in-Chief.
To try and play the role of a stern father for a troubled nation is not
only personally insulting to those of us who consider ourselves to be
fully grown adults; but this belittles the severity of the actions under
investigation. This is not a fireside-chat that the congress is inviting
his officers and possibly himself to attend. This is a major and necessary
part of even bothering to have a government at all.
For the past six years Bush has spit on legislation with his signing
statements that basically say to the public that whatever the congress
does is meaningless-because as 'decider' he can ignore whatever he wishes,
and do whatever he likes, and no one can ever question whatever he might
chose to do!
Bush has gone so far as to declare that if he publically reads from
anything classified, then that document is automatically declassified, no
other source or agency need be contacted - because he an he alone is the
sole power in this government! This series of hearing needs to clarify for
the public, just who has what powers, inside and outside this government!
If what comes out of this does not comport with the constitution and the
checks and balances established therein-then the stage is set for a lot
more than a trip to the already tarnished Supreme Court - and that's one
contest the administration might find very difficult to win.
Just today, in Lafayette and Concord California, two major communities
that are definitely suburbs, some might say very-well-off communities:
many neighbors gathered outside their supermarkets with signs that read
"Impeach CHENEY First!" The implication being that Bush &
his Bandits will be next. When we lose the Middle Class, then we have
already lost the country. And in this case, we've had a walking disaster
sitting-in where we needed a president to be. It's way-past time for a
complete change, and this upcoming confrontation needs to "Take Bush
to the Mat" on these issues and beyond!
Jim Kirwan
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